Let me introduce myself

Hi, I’m Helen. A mummy with a passion for cooking, good food, fresh produce and bargain food buys. I live in the inner west of Sydney with my two daughters and my husband. I’ve spent 20+ years of my career focused on digital and relationship marketing.

OK. Enough about my general background… what’s your history with cooking, you ask.

My roots in food & hospitality

Let’s start at the beginning. My parents (both Czech) have an extensive background in the food industry. They originally owned Sublime Point Lookout Café somewhere between Sydney and Wollongong. Once they sold that, they moved from Australia to New Zealand. There they fell in love with Queenstown, bought an old historic building there and turned it into a French restaurant – this was many moons ago. It was called Packers Arms but today it’s now Gantleys.

Back in the day Packers Arms was a very popular, top-ranking restaurant in the area, even within New Zealand. My mum worked her way up the chain to become head chef and my dad ran the front of house.

So that’s how my love of food and cooking began.

Even when my parents sold the restaurant and retired, mum used to cook enough food to feed an army. When I arrived home from school, she used to get me to taste the latest meal in the making and ask what was missing. That’s how to learnt about flavours, herbs, spices and seasonings. Something I’m planning to pass down to my two girls.

This website

Yes, I’ll admit, I’ve often romanticised about entering one of the cooking shows on TV. However, the idea of it also freaks me out. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to share my food ideas with others… because I do. 

Ultimately, I want to share my recipes with my girls when they are one day old enough to take over the kitchen themselves. That’s why I’ve decided to start a blog back in 2015 when mummyiscooking.com became a reality.  I found it easier and quicker to do this than put an actual recipe book together. After all, I’m a time-poor mum of two kids.

Why focus on affordable food?

When I went on maternity leave for the second time, we were a little strapped for cash. It meant I had to be creative about how we spent money to buy groceries. After all, I’m not one to survive on sausages and mince every day of the week!

I was constantly on the hunt for great food bargains from our local supermarkets, bulk buying stores and produce markets. What I found and created has been awesome – making the most of seasonal produce at its best. Needless to say, the variety of food I serve has converted our two girls into really good eaters. Good thing as don’t think they’d survive in this household if they were fussy!

My family and friends have loved the food I bring to the table. I hear often from my husband that he wouldn’t have married me if I couldn’t cook!

I hope you find joy in cooking some of the recipes and reading the stories behind each of them. This website is here to provide inspiration, recipes and other helpful food tips that don’t cost the earth. After all, who can afford to eat lobster and fillet steak every day of the week? Well that’s my dream… but definitely not reality!

Bon Appetit!